Improvement in water-wheels



2Y Sheets-Sheet 2. l

W S CLAY Wat@l-Wheel;

` Patent''d ,May 28, 187.18.

@mamma N- PETERS, PHOT0 L|THOGRPHER WASHINGTONy Dv C.

4-UNrrrm STAT-nsl PATENT Genion.

wILSoN s. oLAY, or vALPARAIso, NEBRASKA.

lM-PROVEM ENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

,Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,292, dated May 28,1878; application filed May 2o, 187e.

To all fwhom it may concern State of Nebraska, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Water-Wheels; and l do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the samereference beinghad to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of thisspecification. 1

My invention has for its object to improve the construction of waterwheels or engines,

whereby the entire weight and fall of the water can be utilized and thepower increased.

To this end the invention consists, rst, in the combination of anendless chain of buckets with a sprocket-wheel or other suitable'guidewheel and an upright water-tube, connected with the mill-race, thearrangement being such that the chain of buckets passes over thesprocket-wheel and down through the upright tube, so that the bucketsshall receive the weight and force of water to move the chain whilepassing over the sprocket-wheel and give it a positive motion for thetransmission of power. l

It also consists in the means for joining the buckets to each other, sothat the lower loop` made by the endless chain shall preserve the sameform and conform to the curvature of the tube, for the .purpose ofpreventing the chain from binding in its passage through such tube.

It also consists in the construction of the sprocket-wheel, andv in themeans for its' adjustment with respect to the chain of buckets.

It also consists in the construction of the bucket-connections, by whichthe chain is carried upon the wheel with a positive action.

It also consists in the combination of an abutment with the end of therace and the vertical water-tube, by which-the flow of water in the raceis prevented from displacing the buckets, and thereby obstructing theiren-v trance to the tube.

My invention further consists in theconstruction and combination ofparts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth,.and pointed out inthe claims.

In the annexed drawings, to which reference is made, and which fullyillustrate myinvention, Figure 1 is a central vertical sectiony of myimproved water-wheel. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of two links ofthe chain with the buckets attached thereto. Fig. 3 isa front view, andFig. 4 a bottom view, of the same. Fig. 5 shows a section of thesprocketwheel, and Fig. 6 a detailed view of a part thereof. Fig. 7 is across-section of the water-v tube.

A representsa suitableframe-work, of wood, supportingthe end B of amill-race, and furnishing bearings for the sprocket-wheel C.

D is a vertical tube or trunk, of met-al or wood, secured at its upperend to the bottom ofthe race, into .which it opens. At a point aboutmidway from the top, more or less, the tube is curved l to the lower endunder the sprocket-wheel, as shown, and secured to the frame-work bybolts or other fastenings.

The curved portion of the tube D is preferably eonstructed of front andrear plates a a', with side plates b b' of proper form. The side platesb' b are, along both edges, provided with outwardly-projecting iiangesd',

' and these flanges bolted or riveted to the front and rear plates a'.The front and rear plates a' are strengthened by longitudinal ribs f',and the Aparts further secured by front and rear cross-bars'h, the endsof which are connected by bolts and nuts c', whereby the tube isrendered irm and strong to resist all the pressure of the water from theinside.

E is the endless chain of buckets, passing over the sprocket-wheel anddown through the upright tube, the sprocket-wheel being arranged uponthe framingv above the race, so that the chainV shall fall in a verticalline directly into the tube. The form of the tube avoids the' use of alower wheel or pulley to guide the chain of buckets.

The wheel is composed of two series of radial arms, f, secured tothehubs g upon the main shaft, and connected together by crossbars h h,which are held in place by the angular plates j j, bolted to the arms,as shown. Set-screws 7c pass through the angular portion of said plates,to bear against the inner edges of the cross-bars, for the purpose ofregulating the position of the bars with respect to the stops on thechain of buckets, and to tighten 'or loosen the chain, if necessary.

cross-bars are fastened together at their ends by bolts and nuts i', andalso fastened to the link by bolts and nuts n', as shown.

Each link O is formed at one end with three v' stops, p, more or less,and correspondingeyes q at the other end, all being, on the same side ofthe link. The stops of one link are pivoted to the eyes of the nextadjoining link to form the chai'n, as shown. The links are of suchlength that the stops shall extend from one cross-bar of thesprocket-wheel to another, to

prevent the chain from slipping upon the wheel.

The links are guided laterally as the wheel turns by fitting betweenupright arms r r,

' formed of a single plate, r', secured to the side a projecting arm, s,and at the other end with a straight or curved bolt, t, both being onthe i side of the link opposite the eyes and stops.

The arm s of one link ts over the bolt t of that next adjoining, so asto play fully when the chain is moved. The object of this connection isto preserve the size and form of the p loop formed by the pendentportion of the chain, so that it shall conform to the curvature of thewater-tube, and thereby avoid the danger of binding or cramping thebuckets therein.

When the chain is turning at the loop the bolts allow Athe links toswing outward only a certain distance, and then hold them rigidly inplace, so that .the loop cannot be made smaller -that is to say, so thatthe two sides of the chain can only be brought toward each other acertain distance. By adjusting the nuts upon the ends of the bolts t,the movement of the links on the bolts is regulated and the size of theloop adjusted to the curvature of the water-tube.

The buckets are of such size as to t snugly within the tube, except atthe upper portion of the latter, which is made a little larger to permittheirfree entrance, and to load the buckets when the chain is to bestarted.

The buckets are provided with a packing,

l u, held in place by plates o; and the whole chain is adjusted so thatthe buckets shall t uniformly within the tube by raising or lowering thebearng-blocksW, which carry the journals of the sprocket-wheel shaft,and this is effected by means of the set-screws X, which pass downwardthrough one end of the blocks and bear against the top of the frame, theother end of each block being hinged to the frame, as shown at y. Anyother equivalent means may be employed, if desired.

The operation is as follows: The race-gate Q being opened, water isadmitted to the buckets of the endless chain within the upright tube,causing them to travel downward, and thus turn the sprocket-wheel, fromthe shaft of which the power is transmitted in the usual manner. Thestops p, by bearing against the metal-lined cross-bars l1l of the wheel,turn the latter without slipping, and therefore produce a positiveaction. An abutment, A', is placed securely within the race, just infront of the vertical tube, for the purpose of breaking the force of thewater and directing it to thesides of the tube, so that its pressureshall not deilect the chain out of line with the mouth of the tube.

By my invention I am enabled to prevent waste of water, and at the sametime `utilize all its weight and pressure for moving the sprocket-wheel,and I therefore `acquire `more power for work than can be obtained bythe use of the ordinary water-whee1s.

I do not, of course, confine myself .to the use of a sprocket-wheel, asI regard the invention broad enough to include any kind of wheel whichlwill guide the chain with a positive movement and prevent it frnslipping.

Having thus fully describu\ my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1 1. The combination of thesprocketfwlieel C, made adjustable on the frame A by means substantiallyas described, with the endless chain of buckets and the uprightwater-tube, substantially as described, for the purpose specified. y y

2. The endless chain of buckets, composed of a series of links providedwith buckets N and stops p, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the projecting plates s and bolts t with thebucket-links, for the purpose of preserving the slope of the pendentchain-loop, so that it shall conform to the curvature of the uprighttube, substantially as described, for the purpose specied.

4. The sprocket wheel constructed as described, with the cross-bars h,to receive the action of the stops p in the chain of buckets,substantially as described. p

5. The cross-bars hof the sprocket-wheel, adapted, by means asdescribed, for radial adjustment on the arms of the wheel to adjust thespaces between the stops p ofthe chain of buckets, substantially asdescribed.

6. The radial arms of the sprocket 'wheel, adapted for j adjustment bymeans substan tially as described, for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of the abutment A with the end of the race B and theupright water tube, substantially as described, for the purposespecified.

8. The endless chain for the purposes herein described, consisting ofbuckets connected by links which have limited movement upon their pivotsby means substantially as described.

9. The vertical water-tube, curved at its lower end and formed with anenlarged upper end, substantially as described, for the purposespecified.

10. The Water-tube D, consisting ofthe front and rear plates a a andside plates b b', having iianges d d', in combination with the ribscross-bars h', and nuts e', substantially as and for the purposes hereinset forth.

11. The bucket consisting of the flat metal plates N N, provided withthe cross-bars m m', and fastened together and to the link O by bolts n'i', substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. y

12. In combinationwwith the'links O and the stops p thereon, thecross-bars h on the sprockupright water-tube D, forming the lower guidefor the chain of buckets, and the water-supply B, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my `own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILSON S. CLAY. n

Witnesses:

WM. B. UPPERMAN, FRANK GALT.

